Guided Semester Closing Ceremony

By now, the group has all safely arrived back home! Topher and Julia are still kickin it on the beach in Vietnam closing out the semester and tying up all loose ends.

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As promised, the guided semester reflection we shared during the closing ceremony is below (sorry family and friends…this might not make much sense to you, but ask group members questions about the prompts for some funny, intense, and incredible stories!).

Cards on the floor and new faces in San Francisco

This is how lizards do it

Awkward middle seats

Waiting, bleary eyed, for bags that never came

Paige’s acting debut, the dragon

Chang chang chang chang chang!

Dip, dip dip!

Footloose #1

Oh, Betsy

Endless mango sticky rice

Essence

Magical forest Wat with Phenom

Ponlami, kha

Neverending final blessing by Komodo’s dad

J.Lo never giving a shit

Elephant pants

First of many bed buddies

Coconut ice cream crack

Freezing laughter fest at 4 am

Mr. Susin singing beneach a clear starry night

Bamboo rafting in the sun

Nauseating sangtaew ride to the orphanage

Mudfights and poop cookies

Tin and Thai, one fat, one thin

Topher’s river ingestion and unfortunate aftermath

Aussie Thai soap star turned monk

Pra Ong’s photo shoot of Brook

The birth of Karenna and Brook’s love/hate sisterhood

Sitting at the Burmese border with Laurie

711 Heaven

Boom snap clap with the novices

Son in law’s testicles for Emma’s birthday

Soundwave Karaoke for Leanna’s birthday

Yesi’s amazing dance moves

Rain dancing at Sukothai

Spit takes

Surprise festival and fireworks in Korat

Spit takes

Candlelight ceremony on the roof

Smuggled hidden family to the border

Dawn at Angkor Wat

Our first sandwiches

Footloose #2 at EGBOK

Stiffling heat in Seam Reap

Breastmilk

Raw and brutal reality of S 21

Peaceful haunted fields

Somaly Mam and the Road of Lost Innocense

Dead rat showers

Patrick and Davis

Waaaterpark?

Bobblehead

French frieds for every meal

Dance party DJ’s speaker-top stage

Karen’s headrist dive in the mud puddle

O–rrr—ee—-ooo!!!

Water balloon and egg hunt mayhem

Floating honeymoon bungalows

Lord Huron

Mangrove tunnels

Ohhh, Selah 🙂

Spaghetti and garlic bread

Skinny dipping in the dark!

7 hour boat ride to floating markets

Leopard print cubby bunks

The washing machine

Russian’s posing on the beach

Rollercoasters and water rides at Vinpearland

Swimming with the fishes in Nha Trang

Kerry, Eugene and Carlos

Life maps

Alow Blacc

Captain America

Julia’s birthday cake fight

Komodo’s transformation

Chaotic, muddy streets of Hanoi

Boxcar beds on the night train

Hand stitched hill tribe clothing

Walking through clouds to Mai’s family

Terraced mountain sides

Mai’s laughter at our corn hoeing technique

Mai’s massage moves

Mai’s children rolloing over blankets on the floor and shrieking in delight

Creating our song!

Receiving silver and gold bracelets handmade by Mai’s husband

Waving goodbye to Mai and her sister from the van window

Gorgeous mini rock mountains piercing through water

Lounging in the sun on the roof of the boat

Shopping!

Blindfolds and candle light

Gratitude